For my money, Streets of Rage 4 is the best beat-em-up of the modern era – and honestly might give the retro classics that inspired it a run for their money. While one of the three studios involved in that project is now working on a gorgeous Shinobi revival, the other two are collaborating on an equally impressive original brawler called Absolum.
Dotemu and Guard Crush Games are partnering with French animation house Supamonks on what the devs are describing as a "rogue 'em up" in Absolum. This is a fantasy-themed take on the beat-em-up genre, with randomized elements adding more replayability including new items and upgrades to unlock for successive runs.
I'm not generally the biggest roguelike fan, but beat-em-ups are all about replayability, and in our in-depth Absolum preview the devs note that the genre mash-up is a natural fit. You'll face branching paths in each run that further add to the variety.
"Absolum’s gripping fantasy tale unravels a challenging adventure and channels the spirit of classic brawlers like Golden Axe and Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara," as the devs explain in a press release, and those are some absolute titans to take inspiration from. Like most great beat-em-ups, Absolum is fully playable in co-op, so two players can tackle the game together.
Another key ingredient for an excellent beat-em-up is its music, and Absolum has pedigree here, too. Ori and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown composer Gareth Coker is leading the soundtrack, with additional music composed by Dark Souls' Yuka Kitamura and Doom's Mick Gordon. You don't get any closer to guaranteed bangers than that.
Absolum launches in 2025 across PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC.
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